Chapter 7: Be careful when adjusting the force

Several centuries ago, the Great Demon King.

However, he is now a weak demon lesser than a slime.

The reason is unknown, but it is presumed to be due to a long slumber spanning several centuries.

I asked Arsep if he knew any way to regain his strength.

“If you knew, I wouldn’t be in this state now. I’ve already done everything possible.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

“I also wish I could regain my strength. And I want to punish those humans who dared to forget me and commit disrespect, along with the newly risen, blue-haired Demon King who started the war…”

I thought that typically, after several centuries, most things would be forgotten.

However, considering Arsep’s mental state, I chose not to mention it.

“So you’ve tried every possible method to regain your strength?”

“Not exactly. I’ve only attempted the methods I can perform in this castle.”

“For example?”

“I’ve tried sitting still to gather magical energy… attempting to collect magical energy through meditation…”

“In other words, you haven’t really tried anything substantial.”

“Isn’t there no other choice? I could only leave this castle after you arrived.”

Indeed, Arsep had been surviving on just water and occasionally unpalatable tree fruits, so there was nothing he could do on his own.

“But there are still some ways to regain your strength, right?”

“Is there some clever trick?”

If possible, I hoped that Arsep could at least recover enough strength to sustain himself.

“But why are you asking that? Are you planning to abandon me and go somewhere…”

“Of course, you’re planning to leave me alone.”

“Why?! Although there’s not much I can do, I’ve tried to make things as convenient for you as possible…”

Arsep was extremely surprised by my comment about leaving him alone and grabbed me.

I roughly guessed what misunderstanding had occurred.

That wasn’t what I meant to say.

“No, if you want to go shopping, you have to walk to a village at least an hour away. Are you going to come along every time?”

I realized that was the issue.

After bringing Arsep to the village this time, I noticed that since she couldn’t even manage walking alone, I had no choice but to leave her behind whenever something needed to be done outside.

If I went to the village by myself, I couldn’t even get there in time to cook instant noodles, but taking her along meant I had to walk, which was impractical.

Carrying her would be somewhat manageable, but she complained it would be embarrassing once she returned from the village.

“If I have to leave the castle unattended even for a short while and some self-proclaimed heroes come to exterminate us, it would be a disaster.”

I had experienced this several times while working as a guard.

“…That’s true. Even if you hide, there’s no guarantee you won’t be found.”

Sometimes, when I left the guardhouse to use the restroom or attend to other matters, residents would come looking for me.

Even though it was due to work obligations, I felt sorry and was conflicted because people would ask for help even when it wasn’t necessary.

Thus, I tried to prevent such situations as much as possible here.

“First of all, I have a definite way to regain my strength. It’s not just a possibility; it’s something that will undoubtedly restore my power.”

“What is it?”

“It’s to reclaim the treasures I used in the past. Those treasures contain my magical energy, so if I can retrieve them, I can restore my strength to some extent.”

Since he was the Great Demon King in the past, he surely possessed treasures.

Perhaps a magic sword or a staff was among them.

Reclaiming those would help him regain his power.

“But what do you mean by reclaiming? If it’s your treasure, shouldn’t you already have it? Did you perhaps leave it in the castle and forget where you put it?”

“…No, even if thieves broke in while I was asleep, the treasures that should definitely be there have disappeared. I haven’t forgotten where I left them.”

Arsep, having been asleep for so long, suggested that it wouldn’t be surprising if thieves had stolen them.

“Even if a lowly thief stole my treasures, I could easily retrieve them with my power.”

“…So you have that power?”

“Even without power, as long as I can reclaim the treasures, I can restore my strength to some degree. Haha… Ah…”

Arsep smiled weakly.

In conclusion, reclaiming the lost treasures required his power, and to regain his power, he needed the treasures.

It was a catch-22.

“Is it even possible to know the location of the treasures?”

“With my magic, I can easily trace their location. The only problem is—”
“I don’t even have the magical energy to use that spell.”

“That’s exactly right, my friend…!”

Arsep then entered the bed and sniffled.

I understood how pitiful his situation was, as he must be fully aware of his dire state.

Ultimately, for her to regain her strength, she needed the treasures and the minimal magical energy to locate them, which seemed as difficult as a newborn taking their first steps.

”…Even when I think about it, I’m completely useless. How did I become the Great Demon King in the past? You probably think I’m a worthless creature, weaker than a slime.”

After visiting that village, Arsep developed a self-deprecating attitude.

It seemed that the fact she was weaker than a slime was quite shocking to her.

“It’s okay. I won’t deny it, but thanks to that, I’m alive and well here.”

“You’re more cruel than I thought! Do you have to add that you won’t deny it?!”

“Understanding reality is very important.”

“Both you and reality are cruel…”

“That’s what life is called. Ah, in this case, it should be called ‘Masaeng’.”

I comforted Arsep, who was sniffling in the blanket, and wondered if there was another way for her to regain her strength.

The fundamental problem was that she had no magical energy at all.

Typically, magical energy recovers over time or with rest.

However, she wasn’t recovering at all, so I wondered if she was continuously using her magic or if there was some other reason preventing her from recovering.

Of course, I don’t really know what that magical energy is.

It would be great if there were experts in this area.

I wondered if there were any hospital-like places for demons in the Demon Realm.

“Is there no hospital-like place in the Demon Realm?”

“I don’t know about the present world, but in the past, true demons were expected to recover from injuries or illnesses on their own.”

“Or perhaps there are demons who are well aware of their symptoms, know the solutions, and can help, like doctors?”

For example, a doctor-like figure.

“I know.”

“Is that so? Where is it?”

“By now, they must have entered eternal rest in the coffin of a tomb. Even though demons live longer than humans, they are not immortal.”

Come to think of it, Arsep is a demon from several centuries ago.

It seems that demons have longer lifespans than humans, but even so, they probably can’t live beyond several thousand years.

If that’s the case, does he not even have any acquaintances to help him?

This Great Demon King, besides me, really has no one to receive help or make requests from…

I patted her back inside the blanket.

“You probably think of me as a loner without friends or family, right? That’s true…”

”Somehow, it seems to make you even more sorrowful.”

“…Ah, but that guy might know something about my body.”

“Who is that? You don’t mean someone who lives in a place like a tomb’s coffin again, do you?”

“Not in a coffin, but someone who lives in a cave inside a volcano. ……… But that guy is out of the question. Not in the old days, but in this day and age, he would definitely mock and devour me.”

Is there no living friend who can help?

I don’t know what kind of life Arsep led several centuries ago, but I thought he probably didn’t have proper friends.

“Anyway, I’m diligently searching for a solution to this part, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“If you need any help, just let me know.”

Anyway, he would be the one most concerned about that.

“That’s right. I also have one thing I need help with.”

“Do you have something you need my help with? Something?”

“I was hoping you could explain the structure of this castle to me.”

I roughly figured out where the bedrooms and kitchen are, but I still didn’t know anything else.

Since it seems like we’ll be staying in this castle for quite a while, it would be better to get an explanation from Arsep in advance.

“If that’s the case, I can do that too. Follow me! I will personally guide you through my castle specially for you!”

As Arsep guided me, he took short breaks every 30 minutes while explaining the structure of the castle.

At least inside the castle, unlike outside, I could walk around properly for as long as 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes.

He said that on the upper floors there are places like libraries and bedrooms, and on the first floor and basement, there are storage rooms for various odds and ends.

She said they were all rare demon relics instead of mere odds and ends, but to me, they just seemed like old and worn-out items you’d find in an antique shop.

“In the past, watchers were stationed on these castle walls. Even with just one watcher, they could have easily driven away the humans who came last time.”

Arsep said while walking along the castle walls.

The castle was in such good condition that it’s hard to believe it was built several centuries ago.

I thought maybe it was maintained with some kind of magic.

Come to think of it, when people came to exterminate her last time, she also used something like bombs, but the entrance to the Demon King’s castle was still intact without a single scratch.

Perhaps the reason she was able to survive in this castle alone until now was due to the strong durability of the castle itself.

“Even now, if I have magical power, I could create it… but being busy with just maintaining my body, I can’t allocate my magic to such places.”

“Besides, I don’t even have the magical power to allocate in the first place.”

“Do you really have to go and poke at my sore spots like that?!”

I looked around with the grumbling Arsep.

Thanks to the relatively high height of the castle walls, I could see far distances.

For example, there was a very suspicious-looking owl watching us from a tree about 30 meters away from here…

“Do owls with three eyes live in the Demon Realm?”

“Is there such an owl, even logically?! Those are the spy familiars that demons use!”

“Ah, does that mean we’re being watched?”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“The owl with three eyes over there has been looking this way since earlier.”

“What did you say?”

Arsep looked at the place I pointed with my hand.

“Remove it immediately—!”

Then, she became very alarmed and told me to remove the owl right away.

“Even if you tell me to remove it here… I’ll try it for now.”

I don’t know the exact situation, but judging by Arsep ‘s reaction, that familiar shouldn’t be here.

In the end, I picked up a brick rolling on the castle wall and threw it with all my might at the owl.

Normally, it would never reach, but now I believed it would hit since my body had become superhumanly strong.

“Ku kwa kwa ng kwa kwa ng!!!”

For some reason, the thrown brick created a storm and blew away the entire forest where the owl was.

A tremendous roar shook the heavens and the earth.

At worst, fragments like trees and rocks were flying up to our side of the castle walls.

“Hey, you there….”

I had only thrown a stone, after all.

Of course, considering that my strength had become abnormally strong, I had tried to control my power.

But I didn’t expect it to be like this.

“I told you to remove the owl, not to destroy the entire forest.”

Arsep said with a face that showed both panic and fear.

She seemed to be hiccupping as well.

“I removed the owl, so shouldn’t that be okay?” Anyway,

“What exactly is your standard for ‘being okay’…?”

”From now on, I should be careful with controlling my power. Looking at the scene before my eyes, it doesn’t seem like it will end with just a frog being killed by a casually thrown stone.”